<p><b><i>Aim:</i></b> Assessment of dental health in the primary
dentition of preterm infants (PTI) including investigation of mother-
and infant-related risk factors in a case-control study design. <b><i>Material and Methods:</i></b>
One hundred twenty-eight infants aged 3-4 years were included.
Sixty-four PTI (27 males) were randomly selected from the preterm
registry of the Jena University Hospital. As a control group served 64
full-term infants (FTI) recruited from the Department of Paediatric
Dentistry, matched for age and sex. Dental examinations were provided by
one dentist under standard clinical conditions. Caries was scored using
the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS II) and
the DMFT, gingival health using the Periodontal Screening Index, and
developmental defects of enamel using the DDE index. Mother- and
infant-related factors were collected via a questionnaire and from
medical records. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The caries prevalence was 50.0%
(ICDAS II >0) in PTI and 12.5% (ICDAS II >0) in FTI. The caries
experience was higher in PTI (DMFT 1.0 ± 3.1) than in FTI (DMFT 0.3 ±
1.0). PTI had a higher risk of caries (OR 7.0), initial lesions (OR
6.2), DDE (OR 7.5), and gingivitis (OR 6.5) than FTI. The highest risk
occurred in PTI with an extremely low birth weight (<1,000 g). A
higher risk of DDE was present when mothers suffered from illness during
pregnancy (OR 3.9). A higher risk of caries was revealed in infants
with respiratory syndrome (OR 6.2) or when their mothers had a lower
socioeconomic status (OR 6.3). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> PTI had less
healthy teeth than FTI and are at a higher risk for DDE, caries, and
gingivitis. The poorer dental health in PTI is associated with a low
birth weight, a low socioeconomic status, and mothers' illness during
pregnancy.</p>